Learn This Phrase: Conversion Rate

August 1, 2007

/

Having a lot of traffic doesn’t mean you have a lot of sales. Obviously, not every visitor is going to buy something. But a percentage of them will. This percentage is called a conversion rate. If your business involves e-commerce (or if you’re considering ecommerce web design) this is something you’re thinking about.

Now maximize it.

Assuming that they didn’t find the site by accident, your visitors are at least somewhat interested in the product. If they buy or not depends on many things.

Mostly, it comes down to two types of issues: The first is the content: Is the presentation appealing? Are all of my questions answered? All my concerns addressed?

Next is ease-of-use: Is it easy to buy? Is anything about the process annoying? Give visitors all the information they want, and then get out of the way! It should be frictionless. E-commerce is like baseball. The team that wins is the team that makes the fewest mistakes.

Imagine you go to a grocery store. Once inside, you find the aisle names misleading, and when you find your product, you still have questions. When you go to the checkout lane, the conveyor belt moves very slowly, and the cash register is obviously not current and doesn’t even have a lock! Now imagine you can instantly jump into a different store with a click of your magic mouse! Poof! You’re done.

This should help you understand some of the issues (and importance) in conversion: naming of labels, easy-to-find, comprehensive info, reassurances about safety, and speedy checkout!

If your site has a low conversion rate, you probably already suspect something is wrong. If you’re planning a site now, start your research now or find an expert (at Orbit). Conversion rate is a phrase you need to know.

If you haven’t joined already, sign up for the Orbiter newsletter today. Every month, we’ll e-mail great articles like this one directly to your inbox.